Back to the hardboiled definition, I tend to think along the
lines
of a common analogy...that of hardboiling something down, in
cooking terms.
Boiling the nonessentials away. For that reason, I always
include David
Mamet and Fran Lebowitz. Terse. Stripped down language and
lifestyle.
It seems like I differentiate between hardboiled characters
and
hardboiled writing. Fair enough, if it is agreed that we're
speaking style.
Along that line of thinking, I don't find the Grafton books
hardboiled,
though I think Kinsey was more hardboiled than many female
PIs when the
books were first published Books with tougher female
characters are
published regularly.
Books on Tape
I'll assume many of you have had the opportunity to hear
Lawrence
Block at a reading of his works or on some or another panel.
His low and
quiet way earn an immediate hush from his listeners. I have
one of the tapes
of an earlier collection of shorts read by Bruce Weitz (sp?)
from Hill
Street Blues. Having heard Block many times, I found Weitz's
version very
disappointing. Though I'm not a fan of audio taped readings
(the ones I have
are all gifts), I'd purchase the tape with Block doing his
own reading. I
love his voice. For the same reason, I've taped many of his
readings on
Fresh Air.
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